


When You Just Know

by Emmybazy



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Magical Pregnancy, Mpreg, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, its alllllll fluff, plot what plot but instead of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmybazy/pseuds/Emmybazy
Summary: Alternate Universe where Imogen saves Jace from Valentine when he is still young and brings him to the NYC Institute in his mid teens to train with the Lightwoods. In this universe, parabatai relationships are romantic so when Jace and Alec decide to bond, Imogen is heartbroken that it will be the end of the Herondale line. Nothing that a magical uterus can't solve.Or, Alec finds out he can get magic pregnant and Jace has to be the rational one.





	When You Just Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nashcreates](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nashcreates/gifts).



> Happy Holidays nashcreates! I hope you enjoy your Secret Santa present. Since you said you liked fluff, mpregs and alternate universes, this is a fluffy mpreg au!
> 
> I'll be honest, I never thought I'd write an mpreg but really enjoyed writing this one. I took MANY MANY creative liberties and really messed up the canon story of the show and some of the lore but you know what- it's Christmas. Allowances can be made.

 

“What are you still doing here?” Jace walks in and props himself against Alec’s office door.

“Where am I supposed to be?” Alec mutters, reading Jesse’s mission report from the night before.

“Your check up with the Silent Brothers? Which you have already missed twice so they’re pissed off at you.”

“That’s today?”

“Angels,” Jace rolls his eyes and walks further into the room, “I’m not your walking calendar Alec. I’m taking over your office while you’re gone.”

“Don’t do anything to my desk,” Alec finishes the paragraph and locks his computer. Jace lays out on his couch.

“Couch is fair game, right?” Jace tucks his hands behind his head, leering over at Alec. Alec rolls his eyes, knows Jace well enough to call his bluff.

“As long as no one sees you, Parabatai,” Alec gathers his phone before walking to the couch himself. Jace’s mouth is quirked with the drop of glee he feels every time Alec uses the formal endearment.  Alec drops a quick kiss to Jace’s forehead before he leaves.

“Don’t press your luck, Baby,” Jace calls as Alec walks out the door.

Jace is right. The Silent Brothers have made snide comments the last few times he’s seen them. Alec doesn’t see these visits as necessities so they slip off his radar. He’s 32 years young, eats all his leafy greens, and can bench press his husband. Going to his yearly physical isn’t on the top of his list of priorities. Not ticking off the Silent Brothers, on the other hand, is pretty high.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alec walks through the infirmary doors.

Brother Amos greets him, voice resounding in the air around him. _At least you had not forgotten. Please, follow me to the exam rooms._

The process doesn’t take long and is as non-invasive as magic flowing through one’s body can be. Alec lies back on the table, shoes off, as Brother Amos sends energy up through his feet. A few minutes in, Alec feels a pause in the rushing that picks back up a second later.

Brother Amos finishes and Alec sits up, twitching to be given his bill of good health so he can get back to the office. If he can approve a few more reports then maybe he and Jace will have time to go out for dinner. It’s been awhile since they’ve truly had a night to themselves. Hell, probably not since their five year anniversary last month.

 _Have you been out in the field lately_? Brother Amos asks, sewn face unwavering.

“Not in the last few weeks, no. I’d like to get out more but,” Alec shrugs, “got to keep the lights on.”

_What about any interactions with Fae since we last saw you?_

“Since you last saw me? That would have been my shoulder after the vampire den-” Alec thinks back, tries to remember when he last saw fae, “besides the council meetings, no. Is something wrong?”

 _Possibly,_ Brother Amos, ever the cryptic, replies, _There’s been a change in your biology. There are magic traces that I can only assume are fae._

“Why do you say that?”

_Because your organs have been restructured to match those of fae._

Alec’s eyebrows shoot up, “What? My organs? What do you- what?” Alec processes the Brother’s words, eyes searching.

_Apologies, I misspoke, not all of your organs. Just your reproductive organs._

“My reproductive organs?” Alec questions again, “That’s not true, nothing has changed.You must have made a mistake.”

 _We do not make mistakes,_ Brother Amos answers, _You would not have noticed a change. They were all internal._

Alec pauses, grimace clear on his face and makes as much eye contact as you can with a man without eyes, “Can you just tell me what you’re talking around, please?”

Brother Amos pauses, makes a noise as close to a sigh as he can, _In addition to your current reproductive organs, you now have a uterus much like that of fae._

Alec pauses.

Alec ponders.

Alec takes a breath.

“What,” he uses his best Head of the Institute voice, “do you mean I have a uterus?”

 _Your body is now much like that of a male identifying fae where you have the ability to get pregnant should you so choose. There is a magic fingerprint that I can’t really-_ Alec stops listening. There’s a rushing in his ears, his blood pumping and his heart racing.

He can get pregnant.

“So you’re saying,” Alec cuts him off, hiding the tremble in his voice, “that there is a way, due to magic, that I could carry my own child?” His voice does break on the last word. Brother Amos catches it because his tone goes from perfunctory to soothing.

_I’ve never seen magic like this. You would want to see a fae or warlock but in my professional opinion, yes. You should be able to carry a child to term._

“Can I-do you need anything else? Or can I go?” He sits up straight, eyes holding their height rather than looking down in shame.

_You may leave._

“Thank you Brother Amos. I will follow up with you concerning this...situation.” Alec hops off the table and heads for the doors.

Pregnant. He can get pregnant. He almost wants to laugh darting through the halls of the Institute as quickly as his feet can take him.

Alec’s thoughts trail back to the day he and Jace had asked Imogen for her blessing on their union. They’d been in his office, at the time it had been her satellite office for when she came to visit Jace and check in on Alec’s parents. Jace had reached out for Alec’s hand, telling her their intention not only to wed, but to take the parabatai oath. They’d prepared for what they thought would be a worst case scenario, her telling them not to take the oath. They thought she’d say bonding at such a young age was foolish. Most couples waited until they had been married years or never took the step at all.  

Imogen had looked uncomfortable at the question, “Jace, can you and I speak in private?”

“You can say anything you need to say in front of Alec too,” Jace had stood firm, “He is my fiancé,” Jace had squeezed Alec’s fingers.

She’d sighed, “Alec, know that I think you are a bright young man. I know you will make an excellent caretaker of this Institute one day very soon and-” she’d paused, as if looking for words, “and know, I am forever grateful for the happiness you have brought Jace since your first meeting. This is not an insult to you.”

Jace’s eyebrows furrowed and his fingers tightened around Alec’s, “Insult, Grandmother?”

She moved her focus to Jace, “I can not give my blessing Jace.”

“For the bonding?”

“For the wedding.” She had squared her shoulders, “The relationship would be entirely for love and while I wish you could have that, you must think about your duty. You are the last of the Herondales, you must produce an heir.”

Jace had dropped his hand and Alec felt untethered. Alec could see the despair on his face and Alec thought their love- almost a decade in the making- would end right there. Jace treasured his Grandmother above all else. She had saved him from Valentine’s upbringing when Jace was 10 years old. She had sat with him as he heeled, held him at night to keep away the terrors. She had showed him pictures of his parents and told him stories of their love. Imogen had also been the one to realize Jace needed friends his own age. She had brought Jace to the New York Institute to learn under the Lightwoods and make friends with the other students. She had, inadvertently, brought him to Alec in the first place.

“Then I guess we’ll be married without your approval,” Jace had squeaked.

Imogen had eventually come around, putting Jace’s happiness over her own fear of the Herondale name dying with him. She’d sat front row at the ceremony and waltzed with Alec at the reception. Through it all, her dying wish was still that Jace would be able to reproduce.

Alec grins and he rounds the last corner to his office. It seemed like even from the grave, Imogen still had power.

Alec breaks through his office door, Jace sitting up straight on the couch.

“Hey!” Jace stands, “I was just about to come find you, the bonds been going crazy the last 5 minutes. What’s going on?”

It’s the golden hour, sun pouring in through the windows and highlighting Jace’s features, the blonde in his trimmed beard and laugh lines around his smile. He’s never not the most beautiful thing in the room. Alec’s heart stops at the precipice between before and after he says what happened and drinks in the sight.

“Alec? Come on Love, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Alec shakes his head.

“Then why are you staring at me like I have two heads?”

“Did you know fae men can get pregnant?”

Jace jolts back a bit, “Well, yes, I do but technically, fae aren’t really men or women, they look at gender and sexuality a lot differently than we do-”

“I can get pregnant,” Alec blurts it out.

Jace pauses, mouth half open on a vowel. Alec tries to reach through the bond and feels what he can imagine Jace felt not too long ago.

“What?” Jace gasps.

“I apparently have a uterus like fae do. Brother Amos said some sort of magic has made it so I can carry a baby. My baby. Our baby.”

Jace shakes his head briefly, quickly, reorienting. He holds up a hand, as if asking the world to pause a moment. Eventually, he questions “Are there any other side effects of the magic?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You didn’t ask if you growing a new body part was going to negatively affect you?”

“I was only really thinking of the positive effects.”

“What positive effects? Who knows how long you’ve had magic interfering with your body?!”

Alec dead pans, crosses his arms over his chest at Jace’s tirade, “Jace, we can get pregnant.”

“Angels,” Jace’s eye darken, “Are you pregnant? If you somehow got-”

“No, no, I’m not,” Alec reassures, “but we can get pregnant.”

“We need to go back to the Silent Brothers now Alec,” Jace snags his phone from the coffee table and turns Alec towards the door, “You need a thorough examination and we need to figure out a way to fix this.”

Alec doesn’t budge, “Fix what?”

“How are you not freaking out right now?!” Jace exclaims, “You’re body is- it’s- it’s not right and you’re so calm about it that I have to be the rational one! I don’t like being the rational one Alec, I married you so that you could always be the rational one!”

“Jace, breathe, you’re not getting it,” Alec holds his hand, “We can have a baby. Our own child. An” Alec voice drops, “an heir.”

Jace shuts down in front of Alec. He pulls his hand out of Alec’s, “Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. I’d never ask you to take a risk like that.”

“I don’t remember you asking that at all,” Alec insists. He sits back on the couch, reclining in hope that Jace will curl up next to him, “It’s my choice.”

“Are you, you of all people, seriously considering having a baby with your magical, freshly grown womb?” Jace’s hands are on his hips as he looks down at Alec, “Who are you? Where is my cautious, over thinking parabatai?”

Alec ignores him and pushes forward, “Think about it Jace. What other way are we going to start a family? The Clave has made it very clear they won’t send any orphaned nephilim our way. It seems like the universe thought we should have this as an option.”

Jace purses his lips, shoulders still tense. He only lasts a few more moments before he sits down next to Alec, leaning into his open shoulder, “We’ve already have a family. You and I are family enough.”

“Sure we’re enough,” Alec wraps his arm around Jace’s shoulders, “but we could be even more.”

Jace bites his lip before a breathy laugh escapes, “I can’t believe you’re considering this right now.”

“I can’t believe you’re resisting so much,” Alec kisses him right below his earlobe, a brief peck to feel the warmth there, “I’m the one losing my girlish figure.”

Jace huffs, “Before you throw out all the condoms, you’ve got to have a thorough examination. And Meliorn or someone else who knows about fae pregnancies needs to be brought in to make sure you know exactly what you’re trying to get into.”

“Yes, dear.” Alec patronizes. Jace elbows him in the ribs but settles back against Alec’s chest, “Want to go out of dinner tonight? Have a date night?”

“Sure, why the hell not,” Jace grumbles, “We can talk baby names.” Alec laughs into the golden sunshine surrounding them.

****

Alec blinks awake to Jace’s snores. It’s only two in the morning. His hand settles low on his waist, pretends he can feel the baby there.

“Jace.”

“Mrm?”

“Wake up. I’m pregnant.”

“Hmm? Wha are you-”

“The pregnancy took. I can- I just know.”

Over the last month, Alec has learned a lot about “just knowing.” With his fae reproductive system, apparently everything is magic. He’ll “just know” when he’s pregnant, he’ll “just know” the gender once the embryo does. Most importantly, he’ll “just know” when it’s time to call someone to perform the equivalent of a magic cesarean. Alec had groaned when the questions he asked Meliorn were met with such a simple answer but here he is, lying in bed, just knowing.

“That was fast. Magic is weird.”

“Sure is.” Alec grumbles, turning into Jace’s side, “We can go back to sleep. Wanted to tell you.” Alec keeps his hand cupped over his abdomen.

“Night Parabatai.” Jace nuzzles his face into Alec’s hair and Alec lulls back to sleep to his heavy breathing.

****

“So, you’re actually pregnant?” Izzy asks over pancakes on Sunday morning. She and Simon have only lived in the neighborhood two months but trust Simon to already have found the best diner around.

“Yeah, I am.” Alec takes a bite of Jace’s omelet before turning back to his heaping plate of french toast.

“This is honestly the craziest thing I’ve ever heard and I’m a vampire who can walk around in the sun,” spittle from Simon’s blood laced smoothie rains down as he babbles. They’re all used to it by now, “I mean, not the dude pregnancy thing- that’s not crazy. But a magical womb?! That’s insane! Magnus has been going crazy trying to recreate the spell.”

“You’re telling me,” Alec rolls his eyes, “I’ve been magically prodded enough to last me a lifetime.”

“Don’t let him here you complain or else he’ll raise the price on your labor spells,” Jace points out.

“No he won’t.”

“Just because he flirts with you-”

“Not this again. He does not flirt with me-”

“Oh, he totally does,” Izzy interjects, “he’s been hoping for an invitation to the Herondale marriage bed for years, probably since your wedding night.”

Jace’s eyebrows raise in a way that scares Alec. Alec pinches Jace’s thigh. “No- bad Jace.”

“Ow, I wasn’t doing anything.”

“I can literally feel your soul.”

“Stop,” Izzy pulls their attention back, “Tell me what it’s like.”

Alec frowns, “You’ve been pregnant.”

“I haven’t been magic pregnant,” She points her fork at him, “I didn’t just wake up in the middle of the night and know. I had to take a test.” Alec takes another bite of his breakfast as she talks, an arm over Simon’s shoulder the whole time, “What does it feel like? Can you feel it growing?”

“It’s not like that,” Alec shakes his head, “It’s more- you know when you can feel someone watching you but you can’t see them? It’s like that. I just know, somewhere inside me-”

“Probably one of his new fairy organs,” Jace interjects. Alec keeps talking over him.

“Somehow, I know for certain I’m pregnant but that’s the only thing that’s different. Otherwise I feel the same.”

“Not for long though,” Jace grins wide, “Fae trimesters are much shorter so Alec will be plumping up real soon.”

“Really? How long?” Simon motions for the check as he asks.

“I’ll start showing around two weeks and the baby will be ready around 25 weeks.”

Izzy’s eyes widen, “We’re going to be an Aunt and Uncle in 6 months?!”

Jace, exasperated, shakes his head, “You’re already a mother,” but Izzy isn’t paying attention, turning to Simon and making demands.

“We need to figure out what day we can host a baby shower. Coordinate with Fray, I’ll need her help decorating.” Izzy turns back, “Do you need a crib? Do you want ours?”

Alec calms her down, “Iz, hold up. We don’t need anything fancy. We don’t want a baby shower.”

She rolls her eyes, “You don’t have a choice. We’re having a baby shower for you whether you show up or not.”

Alec sighs, “but it’s so...mundane.”

“Sure it is,” Simon agrees, “but mundanes do know how to have fun. Baby showers are fun. We can play dumb games, like timed baby themed crosswords and pin the pacifier on the baby. It will be a blast.”

Jace betrays Alec, “I’m sold if we don’t do the games. Otherwise, I’m on board.”

“How dare you.” Alec recoils, “I’m carrying your child.”

“Yeah you are!” Jace raises his hand up for a high five and Alec can’t help but clap their hands together.

“Shoot, we’ve got to run.” Izzy pushes Simon out of the booth, “Mom and Luke are going to drop the kids off in half an hour.”

“Breakfast is on us,” Alec gets up to hug her goodbye, “See you at work tomorrow.”

“You know it Big Bro,” She tugs him close, whispers in his ear, “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Thanks Iz.”

“Bye Alec, Jace!” Simon calls as they head arm in arm towards the door.”

“So.” Jace says once Alec is settled back into the booth and leaning against his shoulder.

“Yes?”

“Maryse.”

“Oh god. She’s going to kill us for not telling her first.”

“Definitely. I’ll protect you from her rage.”

“My hero.” Alec stabs another piece of Jace’s omelette while Jace watches him, dopey smile across his face. Alec wants to call him out, tell him he’s getting mushy, tell him to wipe that smile off his face. He doesn’t.

*****

Jace roars, lying back on their mattress.

“It is not funny!” Alec yells, sitting next to him and trying to button his jeans over his belly through sheer force of will.

“Yes it is!” Jace wipes the tears from his eyes, “It’s very funny and your pouty face is very cute.”

Alec pouts further which sets off another string of giggles from Jace.

“You’re lucky your husband is always prepared-”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Alec mutters.

“Because,” Jace pulls a pair of jeans from his own dresser, “I thought ahead and bought you a few pairs in a bigger size last week.” He throws the jeans at Alec and Alec plucks them from the air. They’re soft and smell like the good fabric softener Jace buys when he feels like Martha Stewart.

“Thanks babe,” Alec pulls off his old jeans and hoist up the new ones, buttoning them easily.

*****

Alec is scrolling on his laptop when Jace walks in his office, “Hey Love.”

“Hey,” Alec lifts his head for a quick kiss, “How are you?”

“Good,” Jace settles next to Alec on Alec’s couch, “what are you looking at?”

“Shit,” Alec minimizes the window quickly, “Nothing.”

“Come on, bring it back up,” Jace coaxes, “I’ve been looking at stuff too. We can at least focus our energy.”

Alec acquiesces and settles in next to Jace, “Look at these little socks.”

“Put those in the shopping cart, no child of mine is going to have cold feet.”

“There’s also these patterned ones with little airplanes.”

“Get both, we’ll waste the whole Herondale fortune on baby clothes,” Jace gives Alec a wry smile.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Alec adds all of the socks to his ever growing wish list.

****

Jace is brushing his teeth in their bathroom as Alec reads before bed. As has become his natural state, he has a hand resting over the small bulge at his waist. Anyone passing on the street would just think it’s a beer belly.

“Hey Jace?”

“Yeah?”

“I wonder if you’d be able to hear her heartbeat if you activated your hearing rune.”

“Might as well try it,” Jace saunters back into the bedroom, dropping onto the bed between Alec’s legs, “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not jealous your telepathically communicating with our daughter.”

“It’s not telepathic, it’s like-”

“I know, I know babe.” Jace runs his hand over top of Alec’s on his stomach, “Still, point stands.”

Alec’s mouth twitches into a frown. He tries to remedy the situation by grabbing a stele and finding the spot on Jace’s arm with the right rune.

“Here,” Alec loops his fingers in Jace’s hair and maneuvers his head down and to the right, pushing Jace’s ear to his skin, “Can you hear her?”

They fall quiet, Jace closing his eyes to focus. Alec only knows that it’s working when he feels a teardrop fall onto his stomach, “Jace?”

“You have to know,” Jace wipes his eye but keeps his head low on Alec’s stomach, “I didn’t need this from you. I don’t want you to think that I ever would have regretted being with you if we couldn’t have had a family. You are, and always have been, everything to me but,” Jace chokes on his words, “I’m so goddamn happy we get this.”

“Me too,” Alec strokes his finger in Jace’s hair.

“I can’t believe it, still,” Jace laughs, “I can hear her heartbeat and I can’t believe it.”

Alec lets Jace listen for awhile, let’s him whisper “hello baby,” and “we love you,” into his stomach before interrupting, “I think it was Imogen.”

“What was? This?”

“Yeah, whether she bribed a warlock before she passed or has some kind of pull on the other side. It can’t be a coincidence that I’m magically able to get pregnant only a few months after.”

“I’ve been thinking that too,” Jace lifts his head, chin resting against Alec’s hips, “What do you think about that for her name?”

Alec breathes around the sudden desire to cry. It’s been happening more and more as the pregnancy progresses. He presses his thumb and forefinger into his eyes before letting out a cracked, “Yeah.”

“Oh baby,” Jace slides up the bed, pulls Alec into his arms, “We’re going to be a little family. Alec, Jace and Imogen Herondale. With our dashing good looks, legendary fighting abilities, and smarts to boot, we’ll be the most fearsome nephillim family in North America.”

Alec slots his face into Jace’s neck while Jace weaves stories of how bright their little girl is going to be.

****

“Please?”

“Izzy just said she’d get it for you, she’s going to the kitchen anyways.”

“No, you have to be the one who makes it.”

“Why?”

“Because you know how I like them.”

“Fine, I’ll go make you a sundae.” Jace pushes out of the chair and heads toward the kitchens.

Izzy turns to look at him, “I was the same way with Simon. Tastes better when they have to be inconvenienced.”

“Definitely,” Alec agrees, “I can't wear jeans for the next three months, the least he can do is get me some ice cream.”

Izzy cackles as she follows Jace towards the kitchen.

*****

“- and everyone needs to be on the lookout for a new pack of vampires in the neighborhood. Raphael says there’s been signs of- Oh!”

Alec pauses, giving his daily morning report to the Shadowhunters gathered about to start their day. Jace’s arms are crossed a few steps down from him, eyebrows raised at Alec’s small sign of distress. The rest of the crowds faces follow suit, switching from neutral to concern.

“Sorry, the baby just kicked. It’s the first time she’s done that,” Alec explains, hand drawing up to his stomach and grinning wide, “As I was saying-” he continues even though he knows nobody is listening to him any more, based on the whispered coos.

Alec feels Jace’s gaze on him more intensely than usual and isn’t surprised when he’s whisked away when he’s done with his report.

****

“So Darling, how are we feeling today?” Magnus hands Alec and Jace cups of tea.

“Pretty well-” Alec starts and is cut off.

“Not you, I was talking to Imogen.” Magnus stares pointedly at Alec’s belly.

“He can telepathically talk to her too?” Jace, through his rage, daintily sets the cup down.

“Calm yourself Blondie,” Magnus doesn’t waver from his stare at Alec’s protruding stomach, “She can’t talk. She has feelings. She’s warm, safe. Not a hint of distress.”

“We’re trying to keep things calm for her. Jace started on desk duty last week so that he can be around more and talk to her.”

“That’s good,” Magnus grins, “She’ll come into this world with two daddies wrapped around her fingers.”

Both Alec and Jace grin but don’t even think to deny it.

“We are quickly approaching your due date Alexander,” Magnus finally brings his eyes back up to interact with them directly, “Are you prepared?”

“As prepared as I can be. I’m afraid I’m going to miss the moment and then she’ll be stuck in there too long.”

Magnus smirks, “Trust me when I say you’ll know.” He widens his eyes on the last word and Alec is suddenly terrified.

“The nursery is all set up next to our room,” Jace adds, “And we’ve read all of the books. Izzy and Simon are on speed dial if we need them.”

“You are also always welcome to call me if you need assistance.” Magnus insists.

“Thank you.” Alec nods his head at Magnus in gratitude. He rubs his hand absentmindedly over his stomach as Magnus asks them about the color scheme of the nursery.

*****

“Jace, cut it out,” Alec tries to push past him.

“Nope, no,” Jace applies gentle pressure to Alec’s shoulders so he’ll sit down on their mattress, “Lydia came in from Idris to cover for you early. It’s going to happen any day, hell, any minute now. You will want to be in bed.”

“How do you know? You’ve never been magic pregnant before.”

“Fine, I want you to be in bed,” Jace sits next to him, “I am also officially off duty for the next few months and I’d like to spend these last days of it being just the two of us, together. How about that?”

“Who approved your time off?” Alec scoffs.

Jace rolls his eyes, “Lydia, and thank the Angels she did. You’re going to try to kick her out of that office when the baby is barely a week old. We need someone to stick around here with Imogen.”

“I will not,” Alec pouts, finally sitting back in the bed, “I’ll stay with her.” He covers his stomach in the blankets, keeping her warm, “She won’t be with me everywhere I go anymore.”

Jace runs a hand up and down Alec’s calf under the blanket, “I know. Take advantage of the next few days to enjoy it.” Jace’s calm grin breaks into a smirk, “Once I can steal her away, I’ll become her favorite dad.”

“Please, I’ll always have 5 months on you.”

Alec relents, leans back onto his bed and get settled. Jace follows immediately, rushing under the covers and peering over Alec’s shoulder as he pulls out a crossword puzzle.

“Twenty three down is Peru,” Jace mumbles into Alec’s shoulder.

*****

Alec wakes up with a shout.

“Hmm, Alec?”

“Call Magnus.” Alec grips the pillow behind his head, breathing through the pressure.

“Shit,” Jace grabs his cellphone and places the call, “Magnus! Get here now!”  

Not a moment later, a portal opens next to their bed and Magnus steps out.

****

Alec hears Magnus but can’t look up, “She’s perfect Alexander, Jonathan. The ritual is complete. Is there anything else you both need?”

Alec can’t speak, looking down at Imogen cradled against his chest.

“No- I think we’re good Magnus. Thanks,” Jace answers for them, huddled protectively around Alec and Imogen.

Alec, of course, doesn’t notice when Magnus leaves.

Imogen’s head moves a fraction to the right and Alec is enthralled. He’s felt her for so long and now here she is.

“This is surreal,” Jace mumbles. His fingers stroke gently along the few hairs on her head.

“We were meant to have this,” Alec says, words barely choked up, “Maybe we would have been enough to each other, but we were meant to have this moment.”

Jace brushes a kiss to Alec’s cheek and then brushes one on Imogen’s forehead. He keeps his face close, head resting on Alec’s shoulder as he whispers to their daughter, “Hi love, do you recognize my voice? It’s the dad who wasn’t able to telepathically communicate with you.” Alec chuckles at that and Jace continues talking, “Don’t expect your daddy to put you down for a really long time, he’s holding onto you so tight I think his joints will fuse.”

“The longer I hold her and not move, the longer I know she’s safe.”

“Good thinking Alec,” Jace teases, “Think you can sit here for 15 years? 18 maybe?”

“I’m damn well going to try,” Alec grumbles.

Jace laughs, loud and bright, eyes wet and lips bitten, “You did a great job babe.”

“Thanks,” Alec softens, “Couldn’t have done it without those ice cream sundaes.”

“Glad I was such an integral part of the first six months of our daughter’s life.” Jace places his hand over Alec’s around their daughter, “Should we call everyone?”

“Not just yet,” Alec whispers, “Just a little bit longer.”

*****

“Welcome to your room little Imogen!” Jace has her held carefully in one arm as he pushes open the door to the nursery. Alec is still somewhat unsteady on his feet, only 10 hours after his child was ripped from his body, “this is your crib, here is your changing table and over here-” Jace walks to the one wall behind the rocking chair, “is a big ass mural that your Aunt Clary designed and painted for you.”

“Are we swearing in front of her?” Alec asks, falling into the rocking chair as Jace kneels.

Jace face sours, looks down at Imogen, “Don’t listen to me, ok? I've going to learn to stop swearing but you’re better than that. Now, look here,” Jace holds Imogen close as he whispers and points out the elegant herons drawn along the wall, “this is a drawing of us, your family. The big strong one is your Daddy, I’m the one with the gold,” his hands trail over the picture as he traces the lines of Clary’s drawing, “and you’re the little bitty heron right here learning to fly. And way up there,” he points up “are all of the other family members who love you- Aunt Izzy and Uncle Simon, Grandma and Grandpa, and a whole lot more people who love you so much and can’t wait to meet you.”

Alec sits and watches, Jace’s face animates as he tells his daughter, finally in his arms, about her family. Alec runs his hands over his stomach, shocked that it is already practically flat. Their little girl's face is still flush and she yawns, little mouth opening for a moment, before she clamps down again.

“Already tired? Are you lazy like your Daddy?”

“Hey now, I’m the lazy one?”

“Lazy like both of your fathers then?” Jace mocks, “Only in the world half a day and you already can’t be bothered with it? Probably smart, everything is better after a nap.”

“Can I hold her again before you put her in her crib?”

“Yeah love, here,” Jace hands their daughter to Alec and Alec quickly supports her neck and pulls her to his chest.

“You’re so little, you fit in my hand,” Alec whispers.

“She’s a special one alright,” Jace hasn’t stopped smiling in 12 hours, hell, 12 days, “Look at those eyes.”

“I know.”

“Am I crazy and self imposing because I want it to be true or does she actually look like us?”

“She does,” Alec rumbles, “You can see in her face already that she’s going to look just like you when she’s older.”

“Good, she’s going to have to look exactly like me with that hair. No one is going to think she’s a Herondale with Lightwood hair like that.”

“Her eyes are so gold Jace,” Alec makes eye contact with Jace when he says it, sees the little flecks of gold in his eyes that make up the entirety of their daughter's irises, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jace gets on his knees, rest in front of them on the rocking chair, “It’s the magic in her. No one will ever questions how special she is. They’ll see her eyes and know- this girl is magic.”

“She is,” Alec croaks. He hands her back to Jace, who rises slowly and lowers Imogen into her crib, tightly burritoed for her nap.

Jace walks back to Alec’s side and runs a hand through Alec’s hair, tipping his head against Jace’s thigh, “I’ll watch her if you need a nap love.”

“No, I’m not tired yet,” Alec pushes into Jace’s hand, “I’m terrified Jace. This has all felt so impossible and now we’re here and the impossible part is over so the fear is starting to creep through.”

“I think that’s normal, I’m pretty scared to,” Jace's sets his other hand on Alec’s shoulder, massaging out the tension, “I keep looking at her and just- I know we’ll be good dads, that I’ll be a good dad, but I look at her and pray that I won’t let her down.”

“You won’t,” Alec buts his head against Jace’s thigh, “It looks so right to see you holding her.”

They’re quiet in the moment, Alec’s eyes closed against Jace’s thigh and Jace’s fingers kneading Alec’s skin. After a few minutes a soft noise comes from the crib.

“She’s snoring,” Jace’s awe shapes his words and they listen to the melody filling the room.

*****

“Alec Herondale, get out,” Maryse holds Imogen in her left arm, right arm ready to slam a door in Alec’s face.

“We’re leaving, I’m just making sure-”

“I raised three children and babysit for your sister constantly,” Maryse’s voice is ice, “You can trust me alone with my granddaughter.”

“It’s not that-”

“I know honey,” Maryse’s tone gentles, just barely, “I know it’s hard, but you have to learn to be something other than a Dad eventually.”

“Let’s hope he remembers how to be the Head of the Institute on Monday or else Lydia will have to start moving his stuff out of the office.” Jace jokes, hand on Alec’s lower back, “We’ll get out of your hair Maryse.”

“Have a good night- I don’t want to see you for at least three hours,” And with that, she does slam the door in their face.

“Ok, bye,” Alec grumbles and Jace snorts.

“Come on, there is pasta to be eaten.”

****

Alec peers into the nursery. Jace is leaning over Imogen’s crib making faces.

“Peek a boo!” Jace shouts and Imogen giggles while Jace replaces his hands over his eyes, “Peek a boo!”

Alec slides into the room behind Jace so that the next time he stands back up, Alec whispers in his ear, “peek a boo.”

“Jesus Christ- Alec!” Jace startles, “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Someone’s getting rusty away from the field.”

Jace pouts and grabs Imogen out of the crib, settling her on his hip, “I never thought I’d say this but I am dreading going back out there.”

“You don’t have to go Jace. You can take more leave or I can assign you something with more desk work.”

Jace grins and turns to Imogen, adopting a soft voice, “Hear that sweetie? That’s called nepotism. It not a very good thing but it’s real nice when you’re dad is the Head of the Institute.”

Alec rolls his eyes, “Hand her over. One of us has got to keep working and that one of us needs some baby time.”

“Sure thing baby,” Jace grins, “She really likes peek a boo.”

****

“-and it’s not like she’s lacking potential. She’s lacking ambition.”

“I’m not surprised. Her parents tried to expose her to a lot of mundane culture growing up. Her heart just isn’t set on shadowhunting.”

“Still, she’s in this world Alec, she’s got to know-”

“Jace!”

“Hmm?”

“What is Imogen doing on the floor behind you?”

Jace spins around quick as Alec jumps over their bed to get to them.

Jace’s face splits into a wide grin, “Did you crawl all the way in here sweetie? Did you hear us talking and want all of our attention?” Jace scoops her up, “She crawled like 10 feet Alec, I didn’t even know she could crawl a few inches!”

“Look at our little overachiever,” Alec coos, checking her palms for scrapes, “Next thing we know she’s going to be saying full sentences.”

Imogen lets out a quiet coo at that, as if to promise them.

****

Alec moves Nicholas’s hand, “and this hand goes around her shoulders to keep her propped up.”

“I can do that.” Nicholas keeps little Imogen close. Alec pats Nicholas’s hair before sitting next to Izzy, “You’re taking good care of your cousin kiddo.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas mutters, focus completely on Imogen.

“How cute,” Izzy grins and whispers to Alec. Her kids actually understand what’s happening around them, “He was too young when we had Anna to hold her.”

“He’s doing well. Very serious about his task.”

“He gets it from his Uncle,” Izzy elbows him, “just think- pretty soon yours will be that age.”

“Not if I can help it,” Alec groans while Izzy laughs.

*****

“Good Morning,” Alec walks into the kitchen, ready for work, while Jace mans the stovetop.

“Morning,” Jace yawns, still in his sweats and ready to spend the day with Imogen.

“Morning Daddy!” Imogen shouts from her chair. Alec feeds off some of her constant and unending energy before responding with a big grin.

“Hi Genny, sleep well?”

“Yes, I love my new room! I like the wave sounds at night and the paintings of the waves on the walls.”

“I’m glad you’re new room helps you sleep. Did you have any good dreams?”

“Of course Daddy, I always have good dreams,” she rolls her eyes like Jace does when he teases Alec. Alec can feel Jace’s pride from the stovetop, “I had one last night where we were all bears.”

“We were bears? What did we do?”

“We ran through a forest and I jumped up and down on your and Dad’s bellies!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun, sweetie.”

“Genny, what do you want in your oatmeal? There are cranberries, walnuts and honey.” Jace asks as he prepares his and Alec’s bowls.

“Nuts and honey! Thank you!” She picks up the crayon she’d been drawing with when Alec had walked in, going dutifully back to her drawing.

Alec pitches his voice low when he talks to Jace, “I don't get to choose what I want in my oatmeal?”

“You chose to marry me a decade ago. That was the last time you got to make any choices for yourself, love,” Jace jokes, leans in and presses a kiss to Alec’s forehead, “Besides, you’ve got to keep healthy this morning.”

“Why do I need to do that?”

“Because you have your physical this morning.”

“Crap!”

“Bad word!” Imogen points at Alec.

“I’m sorry Sweetie,” Alec apologizes, “that appointment was at 8:30am.”

“You’re only a few minutes late, just run over now. I’ll bring this oatmeal by your office on my way to the weapons room this morning.”

“Thanks for the reminder Jace,” Alec pats down his pocket to make sure he had his phone before leaning over Imogen and kissing the top of her head, “Have a fun day Gen.”

“Always Daddy. You too!”

Alec darts over to the Infirmary, shows up 12 minutes late for his appointment.

 _Good Morning_ Brother Amos says and Alec can hear the annoyance in his voice.

“I know, I’m sorry, I’m here now,” Alec apologizes.

 _Indeed. Come back this way._ Brother Amos leads Alec back to the appointment room, _Anything to look out for today? Any joints or muscles that need attention._

“No, no, nothing like that,” Alec reassures, “but, if you don’t mind, can you see if I still have a uterus?”

Silent Brothers can’t smile but Alec hears it in the words, _Of course._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope your 2018 was good and that your 2019 will be better. 
> 
> Tumblr: emmybazy.tumblr.com


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